It has been so nice to settle into our routine after the wonderful September holidays. The children have done a terrific job of learning how to be second graders. Even the little procedures that make our day run smoothly have really taken hold - you should be proud, because I know I am. They love when they earn "warm fuzzies" for compliments on their behavior and choices and they are quick to point out a compliment when they receive one from another teacher. They've already earned three extra recess times for getting so many warm fuzzies - 30 fuzzies equals an extra recess! And our classroom behavior chart, where they "clip up" for good choices has been a really effective tool. Be sure to check their planner each evening, as they are recording where they "land" on the behavior chart. It's a good opportunity to talk to them about what is working and what isn't working with their behavior in class.
We are wrapping up our unit on government. This week we held a mock election, including a discussion about what makes a good leader. We voted on whether the beloved characters Arthur, Buster or D.W. would make good Student Council representatives - Buster won. I promise I did not try to influence the vote just because of our common name!
In Language Arts, we have covered compare/contrast and inference strategies for comprehension. We have also worked hard on alphabetical order, using a glossary and short and long vowel sounds. We have written poems about our families and friendly letters - you might even find a letter addressed to you in the Friday folder this week!
Our Math lessons have been a combination of Singapore Math and the Everyday Math curriculum and the children are deepening their number sense. The focus is base-10, so the more often they create a 10, the easier it gets when our addition and subtraction gets more complicated. We've also used the Greg Tang website for additional exposure to number sense - they have loved it! You can access it from home and they can continue the fun...just google Greg Tang Math.
I hope you have been keeping up to date with entries on this blog called "The View from our Window," which are created by the children to keep you up to date on the beautiful show we see evolving as the leaves change. Every child will have a chance to work on this.
Next week's Spelling words are tap, tape, fin, fine, tub, tube, rob, robe, cap, cape, slid, slide, hop, hope, scrap, scrape.
Second Grade is off to a great start and we are having a terrific time. Please email me with any questions at mlbuster@torahacademy.org and have a great weekend. MLB
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